004 - Lucid Dreaming

[tabularasa_mods]

Lucid Dreaming Event Info Pt.1 ▲ Event Info Pt.2 ▼ Comments Please see the two info posts linked above for details on the nature of the event, the nightmares within, and the setting it takes place in. You may ask any unanswered questions in either post. If your character dies at any point during the dream event, please leave a comment in the death report thread to notify the mods.

As a final reminder, all characters will fall asleep for the full duration of this event whether you decide to take part or not. You may continue tagging threads that take place before the event, but everyone will fall asleep simultaneously.

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Falling Asleep, Waking Up
The shift happens without warning, much like the first time people appeared in the world. Perhaps you remember what you were doing in the last moments before a strange feeling of exhaustion overwhelmed you - or perhaps you remember nothing at all. Whatever it may be, you've appeared somewhere new. A seemingly ordinary train station, if not for the bizarre walls of flesh blocking the only exits. The only path forward is down into the pulsating depths, a humid breeze pushing at your back.

There may be others here with you, or you may be alone. Could there be more people trapped in this strange place? You won't find them just by standing around.

Nightmares
The screeching of a distant train will echo through the tunnels on occasion, shadows flicking through the translucent flesh of the walls. Sometimes, however, instead of fading away the noise will only grow louder, closer, until it sounds like the train should be upon you. It never appears, but something else always will.

The train is a siren call for nightmares, and you're unfortunate enough to be their victim. The shadows turn alive, twisting and growing as they rise up from the ground and begin to transform. What form they take varies, but the shadows of the mind know the true fears of those who walk among them. Are you prepared to face the darkness?

Volcanic Panic

The shadows congeal at the edges of the floor, and soon after a hot orange glow begins to fill the room - molten lava is pooling in from the other end of the tunnel. It rolls slowly forward, devouring everything it touches with an unquenchable searing hunger, leaving behind only the charred bones of its victims... although, strangely, the tunnels themselves appear to be completely unharmed.

Outrunning the flow of lava shouldn't be a problem, but there seems to be no end to it. How long can you run from something that never stops? Or worse, what happens if you find yourself surrounded? You'll need to find a way to higher ground before that happens.

A Radiant Plague

The shadows rise up into familiar shapes, and at first glance it'd be easy to mistake them for people. They may even share the faces and voices of people you know, stumbling towards you with wide, open arms... and empty, glowing eyes filled with an orange light. Something smells sickly sweet, and it's only once they're close enough to grab you that they begin to attack.

These are not your friends, and they'll do whatever it takes to make you one of them instead. Unfortunately, it's not an experience you'll be able to survive. Your only hope is to fight back before the plague can take hold, lest you become another mindless husk that knows only to further spread the infection.

Trust No One, Not Even Yourself

The shadows stretch and fill the air, choking everything in a thick blanket of darkness... before dispersing just as quickly as they'd appeared. A few moments pass and nothing else seems to be happening. You must've gotten lucky this time!

... Or did you?

Surely it can't be that simple. Nothing else here has been, so something must have happened just now. It's only you and the person you're currently traveling with... but are you sure that's really them right now? How do you know they haven't been possessed by another nightmare, waiting until you let your guard down to stab you in the back? Should you interrogate them to be sure, or start with restraining them and ask questions later? Wouldn't it be better to just kill them before things get out of hand? The sooner you strike, the safer you'll be when their true form emerges.

Yes, that must be the real explanation. It has to be them that's been possessed by a nightmare. What else could it be?

Joker’s Wild

There’s no limit to what form the shadows can take. The world may have its own perception of fear, but your nightmares are something only you could understand. What darkness lurks in the depths of your heart?

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code bases by tricklet

Comments

C

[theforgottenboy]

[Cole may not completely understand what lava is, but he doesn't have to go sticking his hand in it to feel the heat and sense the danger of it. Everything about this place is fear and danger, and everything worse.]

[But Turing's pain burns brighter than the heat. It feels strange, somehow- different, maybe because Turing is different, but they're undeniably in pain. Whether or not Turing detects his presence, he catches up to them easily what with their dragging pace. Once he's at their side he keeps pace, not leaving them behind.]

You can't stop, Turing. None of it was real. This place wants to hurt you, but you can't let it. You need to move faster.

[begetblue]

[ They didn't notice Cole was there until he spoke up, though they didn't have the energy to jump out of surprise like they normally might have. Had they just not noticed Cole? That had to be it, though just accepting that assumption showed how much energy they had to allocate toward their sense of curiosity. ]

I know. I know that, but...

[ Turing's shoulders sank further, but their pace did pick up despite everything. That was the easy part. The hard part was actually following that advice when they weren't sure what that was supposed to look like. Was it denial? Passive acceptance? They weren't sure what to do or how to do it. ]

[theforgottenboy]

[He's not sure how to help Turing, not right now, not without learning more about what's hurting them. But there's no time. Keeping them alive is the slightly higher priority, at the moment. Still...]

You're holding onto a lot of pain, but it's going to be okay. You don't have to know what to do about it right now. I'll help you.

[He offers Turing his hand.]

Right now, we have to run.

[begetblue]

[ Their gaze snapped to Cole. They weren't hiding how they were feeling very well, or at all for that matter, so maybe it wasn't that strange at all that he had picked up on it. Right? That was the most reasonable explanation that Turing could come up with in their current state of mind. ]

...Okay. Thank you, Mr. Cole.

[ Turing reached out to take his hand and got ready to run. Knowing they had his help lessened the emotional load weighing on them. ]

[theforgottenboy]

[Knowing that he's helping, helps...? Something to think about later, if he remembers.]

[His hand closes around Turing's with a slight nod, and with that, it's time to run. He picks up speed gradually, giving Turing room to match his pace.]

[The lava looks like it moves slowly when he glances back at it, but it's not stopping...]

[begetblue]

[ Another issue with being short was that their legs were also shorter than everyone else. They certainly tried though, and complaining about it was something they didn't have the emotional bandwidth to do even if they wanted to.

With a fork in the path approaching, they came up face first against that bandwidth again, but they had to try, even if it was hard. It wasn't just them there; Cole was too! Now, the thermal signals said... ]

Go left!